MAGA Money

In fact, Jennings is set to receive a substantial pay increase from the Mark Thompson-led network, I’m told. A CNN spokesperson declined to comment on the matter. And while Jennings isn’t getting everything he asked for—his team had apparently floated the idea of him hosting some type of show, either on cable or online—the mere fact that CNN is rewarding him with a significant raise speaks volumes about the state of television news.

That’s because across the television news industry, deep cuts have become the norm. ABC News just executed painful layoffs this week, following similar cost-cutting measures at NBC News earlier this year. CNN itself went through significant layoffs in January, with about 200 staffers losing their jobs. The message from executives across the board has been clear: budgets are tight and talent are expendable. Pay raises are now an anomaly in the business, making Jennings’ deal all the more striking. While journalists are being told to do more with less, CNN is choosing to invest handsomely in a MAGA pundit.

It’s a reflection of the moment we’re living in. Punditry has always been generously compensated in television news, and in this era of Trump-driven politics, networks are eager to have voices that represent the MAGA movement, no matter how ethically fraught it might be. That is partly because corporate media behemoths want to avoid being perceived as “biased” against the Trump administration, particularly at a time in which they may need the government to approve any M&A transactions as the industry rapidly shifts.

That makes pundits like Jennings especially valuable. The reality is that networks are struggling to find Republicans who can fill on-air roles and walk a daily tightrope. Unlike MSNBC, most don’t want traditional “Never Trump” conservatives like Nicolle Wallace or Joe Scarborough, whose credibility with the MAGA base is nonexistent. They want pundits who have clout within Trump's movement, figures who can appear reputable while simultaneously defending the president’s behavior and pushing his dishonest narratives. That’s a rare combination—who could forget the Ronna McDaniel debacle—which is why, during negotiations, I’m told other networks also expressed interest in Jennings, a clear sign of just how coveted such commentators have become.

What makes Jennings particularly effective—and insidious—is that he doesn’t resort to outright lies when making his case. Instead, he operates in a slick gray area, using rhetorical sleight of hand to defend Trump at every turn. He misdirects, cherry-picks, and strategically omits key facts. He doesn’t fabricate reality; he distorts it. It’s a skill that makes him more palatable to mainstream audiences than some of the more unhinged, election-denying figures who dominate MAGA Media. And it’s precisely why CNN finds him so useful.

Honest people, however, don’t defend dishonest behavior. Yet, that’s exactly what Jennings does, night after night—and it is now what CNN will pay him to do more of. Whether it’s downplaying Trump’s assault on democracy, deflecting from his legal troubles, or framing his authoritarian rhetoric as mere political theater, Jennings consistently provides a veneer of respectability to a dangerous anti-truth movement. He offers CNN the illusion of “balance” while reinforcing Republican narratives that erode trust in democratic institutions.

His new deal is also emblematic of CNN’s broader shift toward “both-sides” commentary under its current leadership. Under the ownership of the David Zaslav-led Warner Bros. Discovery, the network has made a concerted effort to appear less adversarial toward Trump and his movement—giving significant airtime to figures who present themselves as reasonable conservatives while toning down loud criticism of him. In that context, Jennings isn’t just a commentator; he’s a strategic asset.

And so, in a year when CNN journalists have lost their jobs and continue to see their salaries trimmed down, a MAGA pundit is getting a hefty raise. It’s an indictment of the priorities of television news—where the demand for a commentator seen as a respectable Trump defender is on the rise, while those who produce fact-based reporting in an era saturated with disinformation are facing steep cuts.

CBS Strikes Back: Paramount Global and CBS on Thursday filed a pair of motions to have Donald Trump's absurd "60 Minutes" lawsuit dismissed, calling the legal action "an affront to the First Amendment and is without basis in law or fact." The lawyers for the news network wrote that the First Amendment "stands resolutely against these demands" and that, "in our system, the remedy for disagreement with political speech one does not like is counter-speech not court-enforced damages under the guise of commercial regulations."

🔍️ Zooming in: It’s unclear whether this legal maneuver, before a Trump-picked North Texas judge, has any bearing on Paramount’s broader efforts to settle disputes. Shari Redstone has made it clear she wants a resolution to the litigation. And as we reported earlier this week, incoming boss Jeff Shell has made clear to CBS News chief Wendy McMahon and “60 Minutes” boss Bill Owens to get comfortable with a settlement.

• ESPN and Stephen A. Smith agreed to a five-year, $100 million contract, Andrew Marchand reported. [The Athletic]

• The NYT’s top editor, Joe Kahn, told Lucia Moses he sees a "growth opportunity" in building relationships between reporters and audiences through video. [Business Insider]

• The BBC is set to create an A.I. department that will offer its audiences more personalized content, Michael Savage reported. [The Guardian]

• CBS News is pushing deeper into video podcasts, Alex Weprin reported. [THR]

• RTDNA on Thursday night hosted its annual First Amendment Awards dinner, honoring Steve Inskeep, Omar Jimenez, Charles Tobin, Rachel Scott, Lesley Stahl, Trey Yingst, Karen DeWitt, and the AP. [RTDNA]

• MSNBC hired Scott Matthews as senior vice president of newsgathering where he will hire more than 100 journalists for the network. [WaPo]

• The Bulwark hired Will Sommer. [Reliable]

• The WaPo named Eric Rich deputy investigations editor; Emma Brown, editor of its Rapid team; Shawn Boburg, deputy editor of the Rapid team; and Lisa Gartner, editor of long-term investigations. [WaPo]

• WIRED hired Manisha Krishnan as senior editor of culture. [E&P]

Site Unseen: The Trump administration’s crackdown on the press is escalating. WIRED’s David Gilbert reported Thursday that the Social Security Administration has blocked access to several major news websites, including the Condé Nast publication, which has been aggressively reporting on Elon Musk’s DOGE. Other blocked outlets include The WaPo, The NYT, MSNBC, and even Fox News. An SSA spokesperson told WIRED the ban was imposed to ensure employees “focus on mission-critical work and serving the American people” but declined to explain how the agency selected which sites to block.

• What free speech? Donald Trump raged at MSNBC hosts Nicolle Wallace and Rachel Maddow, declaring the two should "be forced to resign." [Mediaite]

• Dan Bongino has continued hosting his podcast, despite being tapped to be No. 2 at the FBI, because he has to fulfill contractual obligations to advertisers, Dan Friedman reported. Bongino said as much himself, telling listeners, "We can’t just walk away tomorrow from business partners we had contracts with." [Mother Jones]

• How embarrassing for Gavin Newsom. The California governor decided to legitimize right-wing extremist Charlie Kirk, inviting him on his podcast and portraying him as a serious thinker when he is anything but. [The Wrap]

• Sean Hannity compared Rep. Al Green's Trump speech disruption to January 6: "Haven't Democrats been telling us the last four years that disrupting an official proceeding of Congress the way Trump supporters did constitutes an insurrection?" [MMFA]

• The Trump administration has transformed "the traditional White House press shop into a rapid-response influencer operation, disseminating messages directly to Americans through the memes, TikToks and podcasts where millions now get their news," Drew Harwell and Sarah Ellison reported. [WaPo]

• Funny how this works! Brian Glenn, the right-wing personality who has become a favorite of the White House, works for an outlet—Right Side Broadcasting—that took nearly $200K from pro-Trump groups, S.V. Date reported. [HuffPost]

• All the best people: Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilson is "an overt internet troll with a long history of bigoted, xenophobic, and deliberately provocative shitposting," Anna Merlan reported. [Mother Jones]

• Five Democratic senators "asked the Justice Department to investigate whether Elon Musk is leveraging his influence in the Trump administration to bully advertisers into returning to X," Suzanne Vranica reported. [WSJ]

• Matt Gertz wrote about "the right's decade-long lurch toward Vladimir Putin's Russia." [MMFA]

• In his new book, Alex Isenstadt captured the press frenzy that occurred after the assassination attempt on Trump: “One news outlet had reached out ... saying they were going to report that Trump had passed away." [Vanity Fair]

Netflix and Sell: Netflix shares on Thursday plummeted nearly 9%, sliding after MoffettNathanson Research analyst Robert Fishman warned in a research report that the effects of password sharing are nearing an end. "It is likely Netflix has a few more quarters of strong subscriber growth driven by its content slate and ad-tier, but we do expect the benefits of the password-sharing crackdown to slow," Fishman wrote. Of course, Netflix has worked to move away from subscriber growth as the metric for success, instead emphasizing metrics like profitability. But The Street still, apparently, does care quite a bit.

• 📈 Shares of Universal Music Group closed up a smidgen after strong earnings in which chief executive Lucian Grainge forecasted future growth from partnerships. [THR]

• Jeff Zucker on YouTube’s rise: “Today, YouTube is television. It’s so many businesses wrapped into one — short-form video, long-form video, live, cable TV. I don’t think any media company today can ignore YouTube. It’s too big and too powerful.” [THR]

• Warner Bros. Pictures' sci-fi "Mickey 17" is projected to earn $12 million to $16 million in its opening weekend. [Box Office Pro]

• Greta Gerwig is eyeing Charli XCX for her Netflix “Narnia” movie, Andreas Wiseman reported. [Deadline]

• NCIS is not only a massive hit on linear television, it has also been a big hit on streaming, Josef Adalian reported. [Vulture]

• Netflix renewed "Running Point" for a second season; on the other hand, the streamer canceled "The Recruit.” [TV Line/Deadline]

• Apple TV+ teased "Government Cheese," a family comedy series. [YouTube]